She pulled away and laughed over her sniffles. “Uncle Paul? Please don’t ever call yourself that again.” She wiped at her eyes and nose then cleaned her hands on her pants, which somehow made Paul like her just a little bit more.
“You can call me whatever you want.”
“Oh, man, I’m so embarrassed. I can’t remember the last time I broke down like that.”
“Please, girl,” Paul said. “You’ve been the toughest one out of all of us. Or did you forget your little jaunt through Chu’s mountain building while the whole thing was falling down, saving Tick, then pulling him out at the last second? You can cry all you want—no one’s gonna say boo.”
“It just all hit me at once.” She’d stopped crying, fully composed just like that, but with puffy red eyes to show for it. “Seems like we can’t get ahead before the next bad, awful, terrible thing happens. And now Tick’s missing. Again. And we still don’t know how to stop this stupid Void of Mist and Thunder.”
Paul had absolutely no idea what to say to make her feel better. Or how to make himself feel better. “I just . . . I don’t know. Tick can take care of himself—I’m not as worried about him anymore. Maybe he just wanted to be with his family for a while. Or if he’s in trouble, he’ll get out of it. As for our other problems . . . well, all we can do is hope for something. Right? Karma. A breakthrough. A brilliant idea. Maybe the Fourth Dimension will call and make the Void go home.”
Sofia laughed again. “I vote for that last one.”
She’d just spoken when the door opened and Master George came through, Muffintops perched on his shoulder like a parrot on an old sea pirate. Paul didn’t know if it looked creepy or hilarious. Mothball came next, then Rutger—his face red from the exertion of coming up from the canyon floor, even though it was mostly via elevator—then Sally. Finally, Sato, who had cleaned up and eaten but still looked like he’d been dragged down a mountain by a billy goat.
Sofia jumped off the couch and gave him a hug. He didn’t respond much, his eyes cast to the floor.
Man, Paul thought. That is one haunted dude. “Hey,” he said. “I’m glad you made it back safely.”
Sato gave him a weary look, and it was obvious that he wanted to say something, but he held it back and took a seat on one of the plush chairs. The others did the same as Master George went over and lit up the fire. The guy loved his fires. Then he turned to face his small group of Realitants.
“My dear friends and associates,” he announced gravely. “I’m afraid that our deepest fears regarding the Void have only skimmed the surface. It’s now time for action, and we’re all going to do our part. But there’s something we need to do together before we split up.”
“And what’s that?” Paul asked.
George looked at him for a long moment. “I believe with all of my heart that I’ve found the two people I trust most with the power of Karma. We’re going to push your favorite button, Master Paul. And we’re going to do it this very minute.”
Paul realized he was smiling.
“And then,” George continued, “I’m going to trust you and Sofia to figure out what to do with its power.”
Chapter 47
I Amaze Even Myself
A light went on, blinding Tick even though he had his eyes closed. After opening them on instinct, he had to squint until he finally got used to it. A shadow crossed his vision, then there was the scrape of a chair across a tile floor then the settling sounds of someone getting comfortable. Tick could finally see that it was Chu sitting next to his bed. Tick had to twist his neck uncomfortably to see him because of the restraints holding down his arms and legs and torso.
“What do you want?” he asked, trying to sound angry but having lost all of his spirit after being held captive in a dark room for hours. He’d been tempted to try his powers of Chi’karda, but he couldn’t quite bring up the nerve. The memory of what had happened to him the last time still scarred his thoughts.
“It’s almost time for us to act,” the man said calmly.
Tick looked back up at the ceiling so his neck wouldn’t hurt, and because he couldn’t stand the calm expression on Chu’s face right then.
“Jane will be here soon,” Chu continued.
“To act, huh?” Tick asked. “We’re just going to grab some ropes, lasso the Void from the Fourth Dimension, mix it up with some sugar in a glass, then let you drink it? Piece of cake.”
Chu remained unfazed. “That’s a very unscientific way to put it, but I guess it’s not too far from the truth. Great things, Atticus. You’re going to be a part of great things in the next couple of days.”
“You do realize this is crazy, right?”
“There have been those throughout history who have misjudged brilliance for madness. I can assure you this is not the case. Most men simply can’t comprehend the speed and level at which someone like myself utilizes the functions of my brain. It’s something I’ve grown to appreciate and admire about myself.”